MIDDLETON — Loui Eriksson bought right into the talk when he was traded to the Bruins 13 months ago. The two-way forward was said to be the perfect fit for Claude Julien’s team with his two-way style, and the winger thought so too. He still does.

Eriksson’s first season in Boston just didn’t come together the way anyone had hoped, for the most part. There was learning a new system, which was different from what he was used to, and adapting to the pressure of the Boston market. Not to mention those concussions less than seven weeks apart in the first half of the season.

“I thought it would be a little easier to adjust to everything. It took some time,” Eriksson said Monday, speaking at former teammate Shawn Thornton’s charity golf tournament at Ferncroft Country Club. “Definitely wasn't easy to get those concussions too.”

The overall numbers for Eriksson were far from what general manager Peter Chiarelli envisioned when he made Eriksson the centerpiece return in the Tyler Seguin trade. Eriksson compiled 10 goals and 27 assists in 61 games. Prior to the 2013 lockout season, Eriksson had three straight seasons of at least 71 points.

It was a disjointed season, one in which Eriksson didn’t find his rhythm until March while playing on the third line with Carl Soderberg against opponents’ lesser defensemen.

“After the Olympics, I felt better and learned the system a little better, and in the playoffs, I felt really good,” Eriksson said. “So it’s definitely nice to play one season and I’m really looking forward to the next chapter.”

As are the Bruins.

Jarome Iginla is gone to the Rocky Mountains, leaving a gaping 30-goal hole on the top line. Eriksson will get first dibs on filling in as the No. 1 right wing. It’s a role the 29-year-old played for years with the Stars, and one the Bruins would be boosted by him taking to.

Without a right-hand shot to take Iginla's shifts, the lefty Eriksson is the only veteran capable of filling such big skates. Eriksson — with four 25-goal seasons, including 36 in 2008-09 — has shown he can produce against top defensemen, and the Bruins will need him to.

“It was a difficult transition for him, and then he got hurt,” president Cam Neely said in May. “We think he can be a better player, he’s proven to be a better player, and that’s our expectation, that he can be a better player.”

This summer was spent by Eriksson with those thoughts in mind. He says this summer “has been really big, getting in shape,” and he changed his workout routine.

“A little bit, a little more quickness and get a little bit faster,” he said. “That's something I’ve been working on. It’s still a few weeks left until everything starts, so you have some time to get in better shape.”

Near the end of the season, Eriksson played two games with new prospective linemates Milan Lucic and David Krejci as Iginla got a rest. In one of those games, Eriksson had four assists.

“It’s definitely two great players to play with,” Eriksson said. “I played a few games with them last season, so it was nice. We’ll see when preseason starts, maybe practice together a little bit and we’ll see how things work out.”

While Eriksson could remain on the third line, a spot he took so well to next to Soderberg, all signs point to him taking on a bigger role in his second season in Boston.

“I think I can bring a bit more,” Eriksson said. “I really want to show everyone that I can play really good.”